


Telanadas

by Norge_queen



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Assassins!, Divine Leliana, Eventual Explicit Content, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, Fen'Harel|Solas, Food Fight, Friends to Lovers, Game Spoilers, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, I ship Tethraghast, I'm Bad At Tagging, Light Angst, M/M, Minor Iron Bull/Dorian Pavus, My First Fanfic, Please be gentle, Post-Canon, Post-Trespasser, Romance, Sexual Tension, Slow Burn, Softened Leliana, Trespasser Spoilers, Varric is the best wingman
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-06
Updated: 2016-10-06
Packaged: 2018-05-18 12:16:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5928019
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Norge_queen/pseuds/Norge_queen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One year after the Inquisition is disbanded, the search for Solas continues to build steam.  With the help of her friends and allies, Elinora Lavellan’s quest to save their world from a horrible fate will eventually have to come to a head.  Tevinter and the Qun are trying to force a war, and Solas' plans, and those of the former Inquisition, are thrown into chaos.  Other things that must also face their inevitable conclusion are Nora’s feelings for her former Commander, Varric’s confusing and ever fluctuating feelings for a certain Seeker, and Leliana’s drastic reforms as Divine.  Bare-faced and emotionally fractured, Nora must come face to face with her new life, her old love, and the world that will remain when all is said and done. </p><p>**Thank you to all the authors whose stories I have read, which made me feel brave enough to write my own.**</p><p>(I haven't written anything in many years, and this is my first fanfic.  Please be gentle!  Also, I am a student, so if by the grace of whatever may be out there that anyone reads this and likes it, understand that updates maaaaay be slightly infrequent.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Preparing for Departure

**Author's Note:**

> Elinora wanders the halls of Skyhold for what may be the last time. She reminisces about her friends and the spaces with mixed feelings, before she leaves for Kirkwall the following morning.

It would be her last night in Skyhold for some time, possibly forever. Solas had let her occupy it, although she was unsure how long that uneasy peace would last. The building was special, but now felt so different, and she didn’t quite know how to feel about the leaving. Her body reacted differently now to the rooms and spaces, and her mind was both happy and tainted with the memories within. 

Upon her initial arrival, Elinora Lavellan was elated that the fledgling Inquisition had found a place to call home, even if there were holes in the walls and animals living in the dilapidated stronghold. The Inquisition’s Ambassador, Josephine, was not hesitant in informing her in her musical Antivan accent of the structural “issues” with the place, but seeing as it was their only option, they all decided to make the best of it. 

Once Elinora felt she had stared at the lofty ceiling of her quarters for long enough, she decided to leave her fantastical Dwarven-style bed to wander the drafty corridors once more. She entered the great hall, gazed upon the comfortable chair from which she had rendered judgment, some bloody and some merciful, but always fair, and felt her stomach flutter. Whether in sadness or relief at the loss of that responsibility, she wasn’t sure. 

Nora, as most called her, looked across the large hall at the door to the Undercroft, where Harrit made his sturdy weapons and armor, and Dagna worked her magic. She and Harrit had actually managed to put their differences aside, and designed and fashioned Nora a wonderful new arm. It still couldn’t replace her real arm, but the beautiful silverite and veil quartz replacement made her much more independent. She felt her fighting days were over, now that she could no longer hold her bow. She had been a tremendous archer, and she missed the target practice.

She made her way to the door next to the fireplace where she could always find her favorite author, rogue, and storyteller, and almost heard Varric’s voice telling her of Kirkwall, of which he was now Viscount, or giving her some piece of sound advice. Nora missed her friend, and was eager to see him again, and hear him call her “Ellie” or “Killer”. “Killer” was earned in a fit of teasing after Elinora had wept after her first time killing a fellow elf. Demons were one thing, but a living, breathing creature she shared heritage with was quite another. No matter that the young man was trying to kill her. At first she balked at the nickname, but after getting to know Varric more, and learning to love his gravelly voice, it grew on her. 

Elinora stared at the door for a long time before turning and walking away from it towards the large main doors that led to the courtyard. She wasn’t quite ready to face the room beyond. She had entered Solas’ rotunda many times since the Inquisition disbanded the year before, but was still sometimes hesitant. He had broken her heart, and even though he had broken it yet again with his revelations during the Exalted Council, she still held onto the hope that he could be saved, and convinced not to destroy their world. While her feelings were no longer what they once were for the immortal elf, she still held him in high regard for his intelligence and passion for justice.

The courtyard was quiet, and the sky above was clear and full of stars. The cool breeze brushed through her copper curls, and she turned to look up at the balcony where she had had many interesting conversations with the Grand Enchanter, Vivienne. Her beautiful voice and perfect diction had jarred Nora at first, but she became accustomed to it in time. Vivienne had many ideas about the world and the people in it, especially mages, and while Nora didn’t always agree with her vision of the world, she still respected the woman for being powerful and decisive, and also perhaps for her sense of fashion. 

She crossed the open space to the Herald’s Rest, and thought about sneaking in and stealing a pint of Ferelden ale she was sure was behind the bar, but decided against it. The training dummies behind the Herald’s Rest were in one piece, as Cassandra was not there to hack them to pieces. Her friend was in the mountains attempting to stitch together the remaining pieces of the Seeker Order, which had been decimated by a foolish and zealous former Lord Seeker. Cassandra had no desire to be Lady Seeker herself, but she refused to see the Order die. 

The Seeker and Nora’s relationship had some rather dubious beginnings, what with Nora being shackled and having threats of execution being thrown in her face, but as time went on, Nora had come to love Cassandra and her very bristly personality. Nora also loved to watch the tense interactions between her Seeker friend and Varric. Suspicious that there was a strange attraction between the two, Nora had approached Varric after the Exalted Council with her observations. After their rather short conversation, she was convinced of the attraction. Not that Varric would ever admit to it. 

She thought of her companions that had essentially called the Herald’s Rest home, and smiled. The Iron Bull, with his on-point skills of observation, honed with many years of practice in the Ben-Hassrath, always sat with his eye on the room. On the floor above was Sera. Nora had always loved Sera’s room, filled with its hodge-podge of possessions and pillows, and even the odd elf herself. Sera kept everyone grounded, even Vivienne, with whom the animosity was palpable. Nora had politely declined to become a Jenny when asked by Sera, but still gave Sera and her merry band of helpful “Friends” her full support. 

Cole always lurked on the top floor of the pub. Nora would go up there often to speak with the Kid, as Varric called him, but now he was out wandering the countryside, spreading happiness with Maryden the bard. She wished the former spirit of Compassion was there to help her with all of her confusing feelings. But after encouraging him to become more human-like, he could no longer appear to her with a mere thought and plea for help. The decision to let Cole be more human had upset Solas greatly, but Cole was happy, and that was what mattered to Nora.

After contemplating all of these thoughts, she walked slowly to the side of the courtyard that looked over the lower yard where the gates were, and where Blackwall’s barn was situated. He was known as Thom Rainier now, after Nora decided to pardon him for his crimes. Rainier was upset at first, feeling that the Inquisition was abusing its power in releasing him from prison, but he had made good, so to speak, with his life. He used his new found freedom to help others find redemption.

Finally, Nora made her way up to the battlements. She passed a few soldiers on patrol, but they paid her no mind. They were accustomed to her periodic late-night wanderings. She gazed out at the mountains that surrounded the fortress, and breathed in several lungsful of the cool mountain air. It usually helped clear her mind, but tonight was different. She would be leaving in the morning, with no idea of a return date. She had called Skyhold home for almost four years. Being Dalish, it was the longest she had ever remained in one place, but she was happy to have roots now. 

She made her way along the battlements to what was once the office of Commander Cullen, the leader of the Inquisition’s military forces. He was a brilliant leader, and a decent man. The former Templar had made her nervous at first, but those feelings did not last long. They became relatively fast friends, and Cullen was always willing to discuss tactics, rather than just issuing orders. She entered the room, and laughed quietly to herself at the hole that was still present in his roof. But the longer she looked about the place, the more pensive Nora became. The room was so very “him”. Piles of reports remained on his desk, and on the floor surrounding the surface. The bookcases stood mostly empty now, but she could remember him standing in front of them while looking for a tome to read.

With this vision in her head, Nora was reminded of the somewhat awkward and tense conversation they had had several months after things went, in Sera’s words, “tits up” with Solas. Nora approached Cullen about her more romantic feelings, which she had on proper authority were returned, and was promptly shut down. He was worried about the gossip that would spread. At the time, Nora was devastated, but after a few more months, she knew Cullen had done the right thing. While Nora’s feelings had developed into something beyond friendship, she was still in a bad way with the Solas situation. They remained good friends, but Nora always wondered what-if? 

She had always found the man attractive. No woman with eyes and a pulse could say the Commander was undesirable. He was handsome, intelligent, and, most importantly, kind. The darkness in his past never seemed to be able to fully stamp out his hopeful side. Unfortunately, her feelings for Solas had grown quite fast, as they were often traveling together, and thus were in closer quarters. She looked back on the decision to pursue things with Solas over the Commander with something bordering on disgust. Nora had always prided herself on her ability to read people, and the fact that she had misread Solas so badly still pained her. 

Having successfully conquered his Lyrium addiction, Cullen was now helping other former Templars leave the substance behind on the land that was granted to him by Divine Victoria, formerly known as Leliana, Sister Nightingale, the Inquisition’s spymaster. Nora thought what Cullen was doing was incredibly noble, and it only made her feelings for him more ardent, even if they were from afar. 

Nora decided to leave the office and crossed the bridge to the rotunda. She was already feeling badly about the way things had gone with Cullen that she made up her mind to continue wallowing in her self-pity by entering the quarters Solas once occupied. As she scrutinized the mural covering the walls, she could feel the tears welling up in her bottle-green eyes. This was her life, painted so expertly on these walls. A life that was thrust upon her; a life she fought at first, but later came to relish in. She should have it painted over. She should have someone finish the final panel. She should leave it as is, as a reminder of the lessons she had learned. 

Before she would let the tears of her indecision fall, she walked quickly to the stairs that led to the library. She wished Dorian was there, so she could sit in his lap and cry into his shoulder, a habit she had picked up after a few too many drinks one evening after her break-up with Solas. But he was back in Tevinter now, trying to make the country he loved so much a better place. He had left behind the man he loved to work on the political situation in his home. Even though Nora knew him and Iron Bull still sporadically saw each other, she hoped that they would be able to be really together someday soon. It was the most unlikely pairing, but somehow made perfect sense. Nora’s mood improved slightly with the happy thoughts of her love-bird friends. 

She looked up to where the raven cages still hung in the Rookery. Leliana had claimed that space very soon after arriving at Skyhold. Nora liked to think that this was due to the vantage points from the windows, which were high above the ground and offered a good view of most of the courtyard, the lower yard, and the gates. It also provided a nice home for her ravens, to which Leliana was quite devoted. She knew each one by name, and spoiled them almost shamelessly. 

With all of these wanderings, barely an hour had passed. Nora slowly padded along back to her quarters, numbly passing through the lower rotunda. It was still dark out, and she had several hours before she had to rise to travel. She decided she would give in and consume one of the sleeping draughts Adan had been kind enough to make for her. She didn’t like taking them, but the first day of her journey to Kirkwall would be very long without some amount of sleep. She pulled one from her desk, drank it quickly, and sunk back into the mattress of her enormous bed, and finally passed into a dreamless sleep. Her final thoughts were of Kirkwall.


	2. Welcome to Kirkwall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello to those of you who are back for more! I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to leave comments. I appreciate it, and the kudos, a lot. The encouragement is lovely!

Nora was tired by the time she arrived in Kirkwall, and so was Marrin, the scout that accompanied her. The ship from Jader rode over choppy seas, and Nora was not accustomed to travel by water. She spent a good amount of time with a green visage, and hanging over the edge of the ship. She had never been so happy to see dry land as when Kirkwall’s vast harbor came into view. After disembarking, Nora and Marrin decided they would walk to Hightown. Varric had sent her a basic map of the city in order to facilitate her journey to the Viscount’s keep where he lived, and she managed to not get lost. Striding up into Hightown, Nora thought about the stories Varric had told and written over the years, and smiled to herself.

She found the keep easily enough, as it was the largest in the town. Nora and her escort approached the front gate of the large manor, and were greeted by Varric’s seneschal, Bran. Nora remembered Bran as a bit of an upstart, and slightly smug, but she was happy to at least see a familiar face. 

“Welcome to Kirkwall, Lady Lavellan,” he exclaimed. “Master Tethras is awaiting you in his office. I will be happy to take you there.” Looking over at a rather stout, hearty looking man, Bran said, “Carter, see to the Inquisitors escort, and have their bags brought to their rooms.” He turned, and began walking in the house. Nora and the scout, Marrin, followed. Marrin went off with the servant, and Nora followed Bran through the lofty halls of the Viscount’s house.

Bran showed Nora into the study, and her face lit up when she laid eyes on her friend. Just looking at a friendly and familiar face made her feel lighter than she had in months. Although, she really couldn’t see his face…just a mountain of parchment, above which the crown of a strawberry blond head peeked. But she heard his voice, reading letters to himself; the full and gravelly voice she was so fond of, and it made her heart melt just a bit. 

She smiled. “Hello, Storyteller.”

“Ellie! I wasn’t expecting you ‘til tomorrow!” Varric stood, and could just see above the stacks of letters and official looking correspondence. His smile split his face, and his eyes were wide and happy. 

“Yes, well, Marrin and I rode hard the first two days, as the weather was rather fine, so we caught an earlier ship. And here we are!”

They fell into companionable conversation, asking the basic questions of how things are, and what is new. Nora inquired after how the reconstruction efforts were going, and she knew Varric would be proud to tell her they were going well. She had seen the evidence of it herself while riding through the town, and she was happy for her friend. The conversation turned, as it had many times in their letters, to Inquisition business, and eventually Solas. Nora’s face fell a little. “I’m so tired of talking about the past, about him. I want to think of the future, of which I hope there is one! Not WITH him, of course…,” she drifted off, and tried to put thoughts into words.

“So, no more torrid thoughts of love and reunions, huh? Well, all for the better, if you ask me. I mean, I liked the guy and all, but he was never quite right, for you or otherwise.” Varric looked at her with an honest expression, and somewhat sad eyes. He had seen what the whole mess had done to her. She was broken after he left her standing by that beautiful lake, and hadn’t offered an explanation as to why he did it. They only found out later, much later, what it was all about. He was an Elvhen god, and immortal, and wanted to restore what once was. 

“I suppose you haven’t had torrid thoughts about him for a long time. I’m thinking there’s some other person passing through that mind of yours…”

“Oh, Varric. Let’s not start that again. I know you know how I feel about the Commander, but it’s never going to happen,” Nora shot back. “He shot me down, and that was that.”

“Bullshit. C’mon, Killer, it’s been almost three years! And you don’t have to worry about gossip in the barracks anymore. Just write to the man. Ask him to visit! Hell, I’d like to see Curly myself.” Varric smiled at her, and if her eyes didn’t deceive her, Nora saw his eyebrows waggle a bit.

“Let’s change the subject. Heard from the Seeker lately?” Nora waggled her own red brows at the writer. “You talk about my pining for the Commander, but I’ve seen how you look at her.” Varric developed a bit of a faraway look, and smiled against his will.

His attention switched back to Nora’s face, and developed a rather pointed glare. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Ellie.”

“Oh, please. That last day at the Winter Palace, after you gave her the book, you couldn’t take your eyes off her, or her smile. I think it was putting the sun to shame!”

“Ellie…”

“And she had the most sheepish look on her face as she stared right back at you,” Nora teased. She tapped her finger on her chin and looked off like she was thinking very deep thoughts. “I wonder how far down that blush of hers’ went.”

Varric had the good sense to blush himself at that statement. “All right, all right, I get the picture. Change the subject.” Varric looked at Nora, and developed a smile. “How about we go and pay a visit to your new home! I’ll grab the keys from Bran, if he’s not feeling snappish.”

Nora followed Varric in his search for Bran. They found him lurking in the library looking over the accounting books for the city. He handed over the keys to Nora’s new house, and were promptly dismissed. They made their way down the street towards her new home, and she couldn’t help feeling apprehensive. She had never owned her own home, and until Skyhold, she had never had a place to really call home. Her clan was home, and they had been gone for years now. 

On the walk over, Varric told Nora that there would be some more visitors arriving in the coming weeks. He was happy to share with her that their friends would be trickling in for a party he was planning. “I want to have a celebration! There’s been so much worry about the ‘Solas problem’, and I want to make everyone smile for once. The book about you has been a huge hit, and we are going to drink and play Wicked Grace ‘til we can’t see straight!”

“Who will be trickling in, of our friends?” Nora inquired. She tried not to appear too interested, but Varric wasn’t fooled. He knew her for too long, and too well, to be fooled with false nonchalance. 

“Almost everyone, although there are a few I haven’t had replies from. And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I doubt a certain Commander will be in attendance. Kirkwall offers very few good memories for him.” If Nora had been looking at him, she could have caught the slightly conspiratorial expression his face carried. 

Her face fell a bit. “Oh. Just as well. It’s not like it would change anything anyways.” They fell into a deafening silence for the rest of their short walk. 

The house came into view, and Nora’s green eyes grew wide. Its stone façade rose rather high into the sky; not as high as Skyhold, but she certainly had to tip her head back to see the top. He led her inside, and Varric proceeded to take her around. It almost looked like a smaller version of his own home, and Nora was quite pleased. 

“Sorry it’s so dark in here. I’ll have someone come and take all the boards off the windows. But, I DID take care of furnishings. You get another delightful Dwarven bed, you’re very welcomed,” He smiled with a wink.

“Thanks, Varric.” She flashed him a genuine smile, and couldn’t help tearing up a bit. “You take such good care of me. Of all of your friends. I really appreciate it.”

“Well, Killer. Before you make me cry, which would tarnish my glorious reputation, I will leave you to it. As soon as I get home, I’ll send the board removal man over. Feel free to wander! I’ll be making preparations for a few more visitors,” he said as he made his way back to the front door. When he got there, he turned round and threw over his shoulder, “Just make your way back before dark. I’ll have dinner ready, and a room for you for the night. There will be Wicked Grace tonight, and I won’t have you tottering back here on your own later.”

He closed the door behind him, and left Nora standing in the foyer of her new home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it'll be time for the next chapter soon. I hope you all come back! I'm doing my best to try and not make this story go too slowly, but pacing can be difficult.


	3. The Sweetness of Reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cassandra arrives in Kirkwall, along with a few Seekers she managed to find. As the days pass, more of their friends arrive in town, including Sera, Josephine, Cole and Maryden, Thom Rainier, and Iron Bull. There is some discussion of Solas' whereabouts after some strange sightings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More story building. The action ::wink:: will pick up, I promise!

As promised, Nora made her way back to the Viscount’s Keep before dark. Even with the reconstruction efforts, Varric had warned her in several of his letters that it could still be a dangerous place. She was barely through the door when she was bowled over by a certain crazy elf. “QUIZZY!” And now Nora felt like her ears were bleeding. From her spot on the floor where she landed, Nora saw a shadow pass in front of the door to the library. 

It was a tall shadow that was topped by spiky black hair, and a curvy figure Nora would almost commit murder to have. “I certainly hope you haven’t crushed the poor woman,” she drawled in her husky voice. Sera disentangled herself from the former Inquisitor, stood, and moved away, clapping and dancing like a madwoman. Cassandra stepped over, and stooped to help the copper haired elf up off the floor.

Cassandra surprised Nora with a warm embrace. “It’s good to see you, my friend.” Nora readily returned the Seeker’s hug.  
“It’s good to see you, too. How’s the Seeker hunt going?” Nora was hopeful that Cassandra had found some members of her order, as she knew how much her friend wanted to rebuild it.

Cassandra’s face fell a bit, but she perked up quickly. “I haven’t found many, but some. I have actually brought them with me, and Varric has been kind enough to house them.” She turned to look at Nora, and smiled, and her smile warmed even further at the mention of the dwarf, but Nora decided to let that go for the moment. Cassandra excitedly continued, “Only a half dozen, but it’s six more than I thought I would find!” Nora couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s rare display of exuberance. 

The three women made their way into the library, where Varric, Rainier, and Josephine were waiting. Nora almost wept with happiness at the sight of, what she considered now to be, her family. She didn’t realize until that moment how lonely she had been at Skyhold. They each took a turn hugging Nora, Rainier squeezing the breath out of her, and she was happy to lose the breath. 

“Oh, Lady Lavellan,” interjected Josephine, who still had trouble calling her Nora, “It is so wonderful to see you! I have been helping Varric with party planning. I promise, it will not be too extravagant. After all, it will just be a few friends, but it will be perfect!”

“Oh, of that I have no doubt,” Varric supplied. “A few more should be arriving in the next few days. I think everyone should be here in about three weeks. I’m sure you can over-perfect everything by then, Josie!”

Over the next few days, Iron Bull, Cole, and Maryden made their way to the Viscount’s keep. “I ran into the kids on the road. They were on their way from Tantervale when we met up,” explained Iron Bull. He looked over at the two “kids” sitting in the window. They were talking quietly, and Maryden was sporting a smile as Cole was regaling her with some tale. 

Iron Bull, who was of course spending time near the Tevinter border in order to see his Kadan, pulled Nora aside and whispered, “I have some information you may be interested in. We’ll talk after the dwarf feeds us.”

The group went into the dining room for the large meal Varric made sure was prepared and tucked in. Over dinner, they discussed what they had been up to for the last year, told jokes, and enjoyed their meal, and the copious amounts of wine and ale that were available. Maryden and Cole retired to their room, and Sera was passed out under the dining room table. Josephine also excused herself, as she was exhausted from her trek from Antiva. The four remaining party members made their way back to the library, and made themselves comfortable before the roaring fire. 

Bull dove right in. “Some of my men spotted elves heading towards the Arbor Wilds. The guys didn’t travel too far into the area, but they stuck around long enough to see more than a few groups heading that direction.” Bull looked at his friends to gauge their reactions, and then continued, “But with those freaking mirrors, they could be transporting anywhere.” 

Nora thought over his words. “Well, it’s a start. At least that gives us something beyond ‘We think they’re headed for Tevinter’.” She sighed heavily, and pinched the bridge of her nose. “We may have to send some scouts down that way. There was an Eluvian in the Temple of Mythal. We don’t know exactly how powerful Solas is, and he very well may know of a way to repair it.” The other three looked at her, knowing that she very well could be right, which was terrifying. 

“I can have some of my men hang around there, discretely of course. Maybe we can get a feed on where exactly they’re headed. That temple seems a good place to start. If I wasn’t afraid it’d get my men killed, I’d send a few down there directly.” Bull was always willing to help when he could, and Nora reminded herself to thank him for that later. 

Cassandra was quietly considering the conversation, and after a momentary lapse in voices, she spoke firmly, “I want to help, and so do the Seekers. We cannot allow this destruction to happen, and we must protect innocent people. The Inquisition may be officially disbanded, but we still have an obligation to do what we can.”

Varric nodded in agreement. “As much as I would love to stay holed up in Kirkwall pretending the world isn’t going to shit…again…I agree. We can’t let him carry out whatever crazy ass plan he’s cooked up.”

The discussion continued late into the night, but finally Iron Bull gave in to being tired, and Nora did the same not long after. As she left the library, she looked back over her shoulder to find Varric and Cassandra eyeing each other, the Seeker with a blush and a smile on her face. Nora said goodnight, but neither of them heard her. As she crawled into her bed, she wondered what was happening downstairs.

The next couple of weeks passed, and there was much time spent in Varric’s library preparing for the party, and making plans. Varric had procured a large map of Thedas, which was hung on the wall. They had begun putting pins with notes into the map to mark special locations. The first was placed over Mythal’s Temple. The second, Nora placed over a city named Solas in Tevinter, which she just had a feeling must be significant for obvious reasons. 

Two days before the party was to commence, the door to the library burst open, and in strode a very handsome mage with a fabulous mustache. “And the LIFE of the party has finally arrived!” Dorian’s perfect face was split with a brilliant smile, which was only marred by a light scar that ran along his jaw near his ear, the result of a run-in with assassins that Bull had rescued him from. Bull pulled the man in for a tight embrace, and kissed him fiercely. 

Nora trotted over and shoved the large Qunari man out of the way. “Shove off, big guy. It’s my turn!” She threw her arms around the Tevinter’s neck, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “I’m so happy to see you,” she whispered in his ear. 

“Missed my velvety voice, I take it?” Dorian raised an eyebrow at the elf. Pleasantries were made around the room, and inquiries made as to everyone else’s health and wellbeing. Dorian, who liked to appear aloof, cared dearly for this roomful of people. He became even more gallant as Harding filtered into the room with Vivienne trailing not far behind. 

“Hello, darlings! Varric, I hope my room has plenty of windows. I need the light, you know.” Vivienne made quick with the demands, but no one was fazed by them. They were to be expected, and just part of the woman’s…charm. Nora and Madame De Fer did not always see eye to eye, but she had a healthy respect for the mage’s confidence, power, and ability to get what she wanted. 

The only people missing from a full reunion were Cullen and Leliana. Josephine had sent them both invitations to be polite, but knew neither of them would show up. Leliana was much too busy as Divine, and Cullen would sooner become a convert to the Qun before setting foot back in Kirkwall. But, Nora was happy. She had most of her friends in one place for the first time in a year, and for the time being, there were no plots to unfold, or monarchs to save. They could all just enjoy each other’s company if even for just a short while.

Yes, Nora was very happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter should be up puuuuurty soon. I hope everyone enjoyed! Feel free to leave comments and kudos, if you so desire. Happy Sunday!


	4. The Biggest Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nora is blind-sided by the newest guest. How were they talked into coming?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long hiatus, whoever is reading this! Becoming an RN is rather time consuming...

The day of Varric’s party had arrived, and the whole house was buzzing. All, except the guests. They had stayed up very late the night before playing Wicked Grace and drinking, and were all still abed. Nora was the last to rise, and the sun was already high in the sky. Luckily, she had anticipated the late night, and brought a kit with her to Varric’s with fresh clothing. Dorian had been kind enough to fill a tub for her the night before, and enchant the thing so the water would be warm.

She crawled out of bed and threw open the red curtains. Her freckled face was reflected in the window, and she frowned a bit. Her cheeks had filled out some since the Inquisition ended, and her armor was a bit snug. Without the rigorous exercise that fighting provided, and being a bit more sedentary, she had put back on a bit of the weight she had originally lost when she first joined the Inquisition. But she put those feelings aside. She had always been a bit thicker than her fellow female elves, and she had come to accept that in her 29 years of life. 

She divested herself of her nightgown, and sank into the awaiting tub of hot water. After detangling her unruly red curls, and scrubbing every last square inch of her skin, she stood up and dried herself. She dressed in some snug leather breeches, her knee-high leather boots, and loose linen top, and proceeded to sit in front of her mirror. She toyed with the idea of leaving her long copper hair loose, but decided against it. She would just end up threading her bone comb back into it in short order anyways. Nora rarely left her hair loose, and always bound it up with a comb that her father had fashioned for her out of druffalo bone. It was a little more difficult to do now, with only one fully functioning arm, but with practice, she had become quite proficient.

She could hear muffled voices drifting up from downstairs through her closed chamber door, but was in no particular hurry to join them. She was enjoying the sunny late morning in her room, and the library, where they had come to spend most of their time, was always a bit dark in the morning. Finally, she decided it was time to head down. She was hungry, and worried that Bull would polish off all the breakfast. Varric always had a breakfast that was worth waking up early for.

Nora grabbed her long bear leather waistcoat, tossed it over her shoulders, and made for the door. She threw it open, and began descending the stairs. As she loped down, the voices coming from the library grew louder. One voice, however, stopped her dead in her tracks. “I never thought I’d come back here,” she heard, and her heart dropped. She all but ran down the last half of the staircase.

Nora skidded through the library door, and all the eyes in the room turned to look upon her, but her eyes were fixed on the tall blond figure across the room. She was momentarily struck dumb.

“Cullen.” The single name left her lips as barely a whisper. Her wide green eyes drank him in, and her fingers itched to touch him. He looked at her and smiled, which only served to disarm her more. 

“Hello, Lady Lavellan,” he drawled out. “I’m happy to see you’re well.” He approached her and took her hand in his own. He gave it a quick squeeze, and dropped it again. “I suppose you’re wondering why I’m here.”

Varric spoke up at that moment. “I made him a deal. He’d show up if I…well…it’s kind of a surprise.” Varric’s face betrayed nothing. Nora couldn’t figure out what he could have offered to tempt the Commander to reenter a city that held nothing but bad memories for him. But she brushed those thoughts aside, and concentrated on the fact that he was here. Really here. For now, that was enough. 

Nora excused herself in order to go to the dining room for some breakfast. And also to collect her thoughts. Cullen made to follow her, and everyone else, knowing both Cullen and Nora’s feelings, stayed firmly planted in their spots in the library. “Alright,” Varric broke the awkward silence, “Leave the kids alone. Let’s get back to other business!”

While the rest of the group stayed in the library to talk about all manner of things, Cullen followed Nora to the dining room. He stopped in the doorway and looked across the room. Nora was standing with her back turned to him, and she was staring down at the plates of food, but not really seeing them. She could feel the blush on her face, burning red and insistent. 

“I’m sorry I haven’t written much,” Cullen said quietly. He just wanted her to turn around and look at him.

“You’re not the only one who hasn’t written,” Nora responded just as quietly, still facing the other way. She turned then to look at him. “I’ve missed you…uh…all of you.” Nora’s blush deepened at the slip-that-wasn’t-quite-a-slip. Cullen responded with a blush of his own, and began rubbing at the back of his neck. She stood fixed to the spot across for the room. She feared that if she moved, it would be to launch herself at the man. 

Cullen approached her slowly, and took her hand again. Nora’s heart jumped wildly in her chest, and she wasn’t sure what to do or say. For just a moment, or maybe a year, for all Nora knew, they just stood there and looked at each other. The silence was deafening, and Nora fought to come up with something to say, but her mouth had gone dry. Finally, Cullen spoke. “I promise to write after I go home this time.” 

Cullen smiled down at her, and Nora couldn’t help but smile in return. It was a lovely moment, but it was unfortunately broken by Bull’s loud laughter from the library. Nora removed her hand from the warm, but light, grip of the Commander’s and stated, “Perhaps we should go back.” Cullen’s face fell a bit, but he acquiesced. He turned and exited the room as Nora quickly grabbed a cold slice of toast, a pear, and a cup of tea.

Nora arrived back in the library just behind Cullen. Everyone else peered in their direction, some with an open look of curiosity. “I hope you weren’t talking about me!” Nora chimed with a smile and all of the false confidence she could muster. 

“No, just that arsehole former love of yours. Don’t know what you saw in that egg-head anyhows. Head crammed so far up his…”, muttered Sera, who was cut off by Vivienne before she could finish what Vivienne was sure was a very colorful statement. 

“We do need to plan what to do with him, darling, but for right now, I’d like to hear more about this lovely party!” 

A large smile split Varric’s rugged face. “Well, now that everyone is gathered, I can finally let the cat out of the bag! I wrote to Bull a few months ago with an idea; an idea that he supported whole heartedly.” Varric, ever the storyteller, paused to take in the looks of anticipation that were on the faces of all in the room. “We are going to take some of the lovely Gaatlok that Bull has a ready supply of, and blow the Gallows sky fucking high!”

Nora now understood how Varric had managed to lure Cullen back to Kirkwall. Varric was taking in the faces of those around the room. Bull looked about ready to explode from excitement, and even Cassandra had a wild glint in her eye. Josephine looked a little horrified, as did Vivienne. Their ideas of parties usually consisted of everyone getting politely drunk, and making sure there were enough private spaces for the inevitable trysts. Cullen merely smiled.

Remembering the damage Gaatlok could do from their time in the Deep Roads, Cassandra queried, “How will you keep the explosion contained? All of that material flying through the air… It could kill people!”

“Now, now, Seeker! I’m a smart dwarf, you know. Dorian and our beautiful First Enchanter have agreed to cast barriers around the explosion to prevent any shrapnel-related deaths. But hopefully it won’t even be needed. One of Bull’s finest, Rocky, has set the whole thing up. It should mostly blow literally UP, with some amount of implosion. It’s all very technical…”, Varric trailed off as he was waving his hands around. 

“But the point is, the Gallows will be no more,” Cullen interjected. He still had a smile on his face. The place that held nothing but pain for him was about to be blown to bits. Nora couldn’t help but smile as well at the happiness that was being displayed on his face. 

Cassandra suddenly looked slightly panicked. “Wait! Who is going to light it, if Dorian and Vivienne are casting barriers?”

“I’m glad you asked, Seeker,” replied Varric, as he gently patted the crossbow sitting on the table next to him. “Bianca and I will be taking care of that.” When he mentioned her name, he noticed a slight twitch on Cassandra’s face. He might have to come up with a new name for the weapon, now that his dealings with Bianca, the dwarf, were over. Finally. It hadn’t been pretty, and almost started a clan war, but it was done. 

Bull jumped in at that moment, not only to pass on some news, but also to diffuse some of the tension that could be felt between four certain members of the group. “Rocky also brought me some news of Solas. Well, not of HIM to be exact, but of the disappearing elves.” All eyes turned expectantly to him. “There were large-ish groups of elves seen in Tevinter, just outside the town called Solas. I think maybe that’s where they are gathering. If Solas is as powerful as we think he is, he might be able to hide even that many elves there. But we can save that talk for later. Let’s party!”

Josephine looked around the room as she said, “Not quite yet! There still needs to be some careful planning of this fantastic event. Do not worry, Varric. Just give me one week, and I will handle everything!”

The dwarf grinned. “I wouldn’t have it any other way, Ruffles.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have the next few chapters written, but they still need some work. Hopefully it won't be another month until I can release them! :-) Thanks for reading, and I would love to hear your thoughts.


	5. One for the Books

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm officially done with nursing school! Now, hopefully, I'll be able to write more often! Thanks to those of you who read this. Feel free to leave comments. :-)

The next few weeks passed without incident. The group wandered around Kirkwall, Rainier visited the local jail a few times, Dorian complained about the wine, and Vivienne was happy with her windows. They had even managed a trip to the Black Emporium, where Sera took a sock from the basket, and also tried to take one of the tiny animals running about the place, but she had less luck with that endeavor. Varric heard from his publisher, and was happy to announce that a vast number of people had already paid for his new book, and it wasn’t even out yet! Everything was coming along smoothly. Josephine had everything ready in less than a week, to the surprise of no one, and on the appointed date of the gathering, everything was prepared, even the frilly cakes from Orlais that they all loved.

“All right everyone! Gather round,” Varric shouted over the din of conversation in the library. The whole party was gathered and fed, and ready for an explosion. “Gather your coats, if you so desire, and your wine. It’s time to set off for the docks!” Varric led the troupe out of the library into the front hall. He relished in the excited looks on everyone’s faces. This was going to be a damn good party. And the Seeker looked damn delicious. 

Cassandra caught him openly staring and flushed. Nora did not miss the exchange, and smiled to herself. This night could turn out better than expected.

The walk down to the docks was raucous and lively, as everyone was excitedly talking and reminiscing. Sera may have thrown a pie she pilfered from a window sill at an unsuspecting man harassing a street urchin, if the maniacal laughter was any indication. Vivienne and Josephine were discussing the political ramifications of some of Divine Victoria’s reforms, much to Bull’s annoyance. He wanted to talk of nothing but what the explosion was going to look like. Dorian could only smile at his lover’s frustration. Cole and Maryden held hands and silently followed the party, not needing words at that moment, only the exchange of looks and light touches. Cole was still fascinated by the feelings associated with love.

Cullen was talking with Varric, but Nora couldn’t hear what about, and Rainier and Cassandra were discussing where they could set up a sparring ring. Rainier looked happier and more carefree than Nora had ever seen him, and she was glad she pardoned the man. He had done so much good, and though he would always carry the weight of the Callier family’s death with him, he was a different man; a better man. Nora was quietly walking in the middle of the group just taking it all in. They arrived at the docks just as Rocky was pulling up his small boat. Krem was with him.

Rocky approached Bull as Krem made the rounds to say hello. “Everything’s set, Chief. This place will be blown to smithereens! And I placed the chargers just so, so there shouldn’t be too much outward trajectory,” the dwarf announced with a grin. 

“Excellent!” Bull responded. “Varric, my part’s done. Now it’s up to you and that crossbow of yours.”

Varric readied Bianca, and Dorian lit the tip of his arrow. “As soon as you see the fuse pile is lit, cast your barriers, my friends. Well, this arrow won’t burn forever!” Varric loosed his arrow, and the pile of cloth and accelerant caught. Vivienne and Dorian cast their spells, and they all waited with bated breath for the first barrel of Gaatlok to blow.

The explosion was glorious and deafening. Everyone’s eyes were squinted against the bright fire that was quickly spreading, and Josephine had plugged her ears against the noise, but even she had a look of absolute awe upon her face. The next barrels of Gaatlok blew, and then the next. It was amazing!

As the last barrel blew, Bull started whooping with glee at the spectacle. “Taarsidath-an halsaam!” Dorian cast a look over his shoulder, and gave Bull one of the most lascivious grins Nora had ever seen. Nora knew to avoid that area of Varric’s keep later that night. 

Dorian and Vivienne lowered their wards after Rocky informed them that all of the barrels had blown. Dorian ran to Bull, and threw his arms around his waist as the huge Qunari threw his own around his lover’s neck. He then lifted Dorian up and planted a wet kiss on his lips. Everyone smiled at their enthusiasm, especially when Bull began spinning around with Dorian in his arms. 

Sera was dancing around like a fool and laughing at the spectacle. She grabbed Krem’s hands, and he rolled his eyes as Sera made circles around him, and he couldn’t help but smirk at her enthusiasm. Cassandra approached Varric, and gingerly placed a hand upon his shoulder. “You have done well. This made our friend a very happy man.” 

“Why, Seeker! A compliment? I’m impressed!” Varric turned and gave the woman that towered over him a lopsided grin. Cassandra couldn’t help but return that grin. Because Varric thought no one was looking, he reached up and placed a tentative hand atop the one on his shoulder, and Cassandra’s smile became even warmer. As usual, Nora caught the exchange, and was happy. These two were making progress! Well, maybe.

As everyone around her was happily talking and laughing and looking, Nora felt rather than saw the presence that approached her. She didn’t have to turn to know that it was Cullen; she just knew. “Hello, Commander.”

“Hello, Inquis…Herald…uh, Lady Lavellan,” he stammered back as he turned his head to look at her, and Nora could see pink spreading across his cheeks. “Ahem… This was quite a show! But I’m glad the place is gone.”

She turned her own head to look over at him, and replied, “I imagine you are. It was a terrible place full of nothing but terrible memories.” She turned back towards the burning structure, as did Cullen. “I wonder what Varric will do with it now.” Cullen had decided on the trip over to try and fix the mistake he felt he had made the few years previous. Not only did Varric’s letter include the deal about The Gallows, but some thinly veiled hints that he should stop being so stupid and take Nora up on whatever offer she made him. 

“Perhaps he will take the space, and build something new. Something better. A place that can be filled with happier memories.” In his head, he wasn’t just talking about building something better in relation to The Gallows, and he hoped that Nora caught the reference, but also hoped she missed it. He could feel his face warming yet again, and his hand unconsciously went to the back of his neck. Nora blushed, as the reference dawned on her with the help of Cullen’s gesture. 

“Hopefully,” was her only response, for she didn’t quite trust herself to say anything else, so she stood there simply watching the building burn. Nora stiffened when she felt fingers trailing down her forearm toward her hand, and then felt those fingers intertwine with her own. 

Cullen almost pulled away when he felt her muscles go taut, but bravery won out. He got a thrill from the feeling of her skin under his fingertips, and a piece of his heart fell into place as soon as his fingers slipped between hers. He breathed the biggest sigh of relief when he felt her relax and grip his fingers in return. And there they remained: no words exchanged, no looks, no extra movements. They just “were” as they watched The Gallows burn.

***

Cassandra was garnered speechless when Varric’s hand touched her own. It was warm and rough on the back of her hand, but the pressure was gentle. The thought occurred to her to pull away, as, after all, someone might notice. She was not embarrassed by him, but she couldn’t abide the possible gossip. She eschewed those feelings, and decided she rather liked the feeling of his hand on hers, and to the Void with anyone who wanted to make an issue of it. So she let him leave his hand there, but became more alarmed when his thumb started making small circles on her skin. She felt those traces in the heat of her belly, and her blush became deeper. Cassandra was thankful in that moment for the darkness.

Just because it was dark out didn’t mean Varric missed the deepening shade of the Seeker’s face. It made him feel bolder; bold enough to start tracing patterns over her skin. Perhaps Ellie was right, and he should just throw caution to the wind and kiss the woman. But now was not that moment. He had gleaned through their letters that her feelings had warmed considerably, however, he didn’t want to frighten her off. He’d wasted so many years on Bianca that he did NOT want to mess up what he thought was probably his last shot at happiness. 

Varric decided to go for broke; well, as “for broke” as he could with an audience, and wrapped his other arm around Cassandra’s waist. He expected her to jump away…but that moment never came. Although, she did stare straight ahead with eyes as wide as they could go. After a brief moment of surprised stiffness, she began to lean into him a little, with her hip fitting in the space just below his armpit.   
Cassandra removed her hand from underneath Varric’s and placed it around his shoulders. And there they stood, much like Cullen and Nora, watching The Gallows burn.


	6. Bravery in a Bottle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HelloOOOOOO, adulting! I've been doing a lot of adulting this summer, like graduating from school (Horray, I'm a board-certified RN now!) and buying a house. So, I apologize for the delay. Enjoy, my friends! Feel free to comment. :-)

After having their fill of watching the burning building, and having all run out of drink, the large group made their very raucous return to the Viscount’s keep. When they arrived back at the house, everyone filed back into the library, where Varric’s servants had laid out a generous amount of food and, of course, alcohol. The only ones missing from the party were Cole and Maryden, as they preferred to retire early to the quiet of their room. Although, the remaining party members all had ideas about what the two of them would be up to. Cole had a lot of _experiences_ to catch up on, after all.

The party continued on long into the night with everyone eating, drinking, and swapping stories. Krem became a popular storyteller, as he had many tales of his escapades with Bull and the Chargers. Varric was happy to let him dominate that arena for the evening. All he could think about was Cassandra and how to stay close to her without looking too obvious. Also, her legs. Ahh, those damned legs, and how they would feel wrapped around… “Varric, you aren’t even paying attention!” His reverie was broken by Josephine’s admonition.

“Like hell, I wasn’t! Josie, why don’t you spin a story for us? I’m sure you have many.” He gave her his most charming grin of encouragement.

“Oh, all right. Many years ago, Madame Rosalie LeMauriet took her gardener for a lover, but he happened to be an infamous thief…”

Having successfully distracted the diplomat, he returned his thoughts to Cassandra and her legs. Although, after a few more minutes of that, he had to start thinking about Bull and Krem sparring to stop the beginning tightness in his trousers from becoming noticeable to the whole room.

After a handful of hours of drinking and storytelling, the group noticed that Bull and Dorian had made themselves scarce without excusing themselves, while Vivienne and Josephine had politely made their apologies and gone off to bed. No doubt due to the large amounts of liquid encouragement that had been consumed, most of the group decided it would be fun to hunt for Bull and Dorian, even though they knew EXACTLY what they would find. Cullen was reluctant, but Nora firmly grasped his hand, and he was willingly dragged from the room.

They all made the trek up the stairs to the guest wing, full of giggles and wine. Many drunken “Shhh!”s were exchanged, and every table in the halls was bumped into. Finally, the sounds of what would loosely be defined as love-making could be heard. They all tip-toed to the door and they noticed Sera’s face. She wore the expression she always did when her mind was coming up with some half-cocked, crazy plan.

As she backed up and prepared to break down the door, the rest of the group could hear footsteps approaching from the other side, but there was no stopping Sera’s advance. Sera was about to make contact with the door when it came flying open, and she crashed smack into the bare chest, and barely covered lower regions, of Bull.

“Fuck ALL! What in the blasted hell…?!”

“If you all really wanted to join, all you had to do was knock,” Bull drawled out with a quirk of his lips as he stared down at the heap of elf on the floor. The other five were reduced to a fit of giggles as they tore back down the hall towards the stairs. Rainier had originally tried to gather Sera off the floor, but was too uncoordinated, so he followed after the others. They barely made it down the long flight in their inebriated states.

“Well, I think I’ve had enough fun for one evening,” Nora managed to spout out between giggles.

Varric chimed in, also still full of giggles, with an effort to give his friends a small push, “Curly, take the lady home!”

Cullen looked as if he was about to eat his own collar. He narrowly avoided rubbing furiously at the back of his neck. Finally he collected himself enough to form a response. “Lady Lavellan, I would be happy to escort you home.” Nora could only smile sheepishly and snake her arm through his.

Rainier gave Varric a look, and shook his head. “I’ll be off to check on Sera, and then to bed myself! I have a feeling it’s going to be a rough morning…” He turned then, and headed back up the stairs, tripping several times along the way.

Nora and Cullen made their way down the road back to Nora’s house. “You can stay the night, if you wish,” Nora spat out quickly. Cullen almost tripped.

“Ungh…” There was no coherent statement Cullen was capable of making in that instant.

Realizing what it sounded like, she added, “What I mean is, I have a guest room ready. It’s comfortable, thanks to Varric. He practically furnished the whole house actually, along with making sure I had staff, and a full cellar, and that all the boards were pulled off, and the tapestries…” Nora realized she was rambling, and the statement trailed off. They walked the rest of the way in silence.

They reached Nora’s new home. Cullen followed her into the house, and they ascended the stairs together to the upper level where their rooms were situated. She stopped at her own door and indicated that his was the closed one across the hall. They stood there, doing their best not to look at each other, but standing quite close. Finally, Nora managed to choke out a “Goodnight” before she quickly stood on tip-toes and placed her lips on his cheek.

It was a quick brush that sent a hot shot straight to Cullen’s heart, as well as his breeches. But before he could respond, her door was hastily opened and closed. He wasn’t sure how long he stood there staring at her door, but it could have been no longer than Nora stood on the other side, leaning her back against it with her head hung low, angry at her inability to seize the moment. Cullen eventually turned and walked into the welcoming guest room. He crawled into the comfortable and oversized bed, thankful the fire had been lit, but was unable to fall asleep for a long while with constant thoughts of Nora’s lips running through his head, sending urgent messages further down his body. Finally, he fell asleep as the sun was just coming over the horizon, falling to exhaustion more than anything else.

Nora was just as fitful knowing he was just across the hall, thinking of his body wrapped in comfortable sheets, and how she was jealous of the sheets. She immediately felt silly. She changed into her nightshirt and pulled on a pair of soft socks, as her feet were cold, and crawled into her own bed. She also finally fell asleep, and dreamed of Cullen’s hands.

***

Back in Varric’s study, where he and Cassandra had retreated after everyone else went to bed, he stood, glass in hand, while Cassandra took up residence on the couch, a glass in her hand as well. “Tell me a story, Varric. Something calm and soothing. I’ve had enough of excitement and explosions for today.”

Varric began telling her about the lands around Kirkwall; about the flowers and the trees, the shore of the Waking Sea and how the waves crash against the rocks. Cassandra’s eyes drifted closed, even as she continued to stay sitting perched on the edge of the couch. Varric thought he had never seen her look so relaxed, and when her lips parted ever so slightly, he lost himself. He kept talking, describing the way the sea smells in a quiet voice, as he slowly approached the Seeker, depositing his empty glass on a table. His hand steadily, and seemingly of its own accord, reached out for Cassandra’s thigh.

It was like electricity in his fingertips, and his voice abruptly cut off. As Cassandra’s eyes slowly opened, she first regarded the hand on her leg, then trailed her eyes up the length of his arm, and finally locked on his face. She was taken aback by the look of vulnerability in Varric’s eyes. Her own hand moved out of her lap and found itself placed upon his. His other hand sought its way to her other thigh as he stepped between her relaxed knees, his eyes never leaving hers. “Seeker…Cassandra, I… What I mean is… Shit, I’m a writer, and my brain picks now to stop working…” So he did the only thing he could think of that didn’t involve speaking but would still convey his meaning. He leaned down a tad, as he was ever so slightly taller than her with her seated, and kissed her. It was soft and gentle, not the passionate, urgent kisses he wrote about in his books, but it was perfect. Cassandra’s glass hit the floor, but neither of them noticed the dark red liquid sinking into the beautiful rug. All he could feel was her hands on his face, callused and scarred from battle, but decidedly feminine, and how they then began to wind up into his hair. His body went from electricity to fire as her fingers tangled themselves into his strawberry-blond waves, and he thought this is what mages must feel like while casting.


End file.
